Ireland is home to a Polish community totaling approximately 150,000 people, 2.57% of the population according to the latest census, and the Polish language is the most spoken foreign language in Ireland

One of the first known contacts between Ireland and Poland took place in the late 1600s when Irishman Bernard Connor was appointed physician at the court of Polish King John III Sobieski. In 1694, Connor wrote a book titled History of Poland in the English language.  In 1922, when Ireland obtained its independence from the United Kingdom, Poland was among the first group of states to establish diplomatic relations with the independent Irish State, sending a Consul-General in 1929.

Official diplomatic relations between Ireland and Poland were established in 1976, but during the Cold War, relations between both nations were limited. Ireland supported the Polish Solidarity movement. In 1981, the Irish Polish Society sent 20 containers of medicines, powdered milk, baby food and clothes to Poland, valued at more than £250,000.

After the fall of communism in Poland, relations between both nations strengthened. In 1990, Ireland opened its embassy in Warsaw and in 1991, Poland opened its embassy in Dublin. In 1997, Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski paid an official visit to Ireland, and in 2003 Irish President Mary McAleese paid a visit to Poland. In 2004, Poland joined the European Union and Ireland immediately opened its borders and labor market to Polish workers.

Although Ireland is not a member of NATO, Irish forces have fought alongside Polish forces in the War in Afghanistan and in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Chad.

Throughout the years, both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Agreement on the development of economic, industrial, scientific and technological cooperation (1977); Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income (1995) and an Accession Treaty (2003).

Transport: There are over 60 flights per week between both nations, many of them direct flights.

Trade:  In 2018, trade between Ireland and Poland totaled US$2.7 billion.  Irish exports to Poland include: prepared food, dairy products, beef and drinks (mainly alcohol such as Irish whiskey). Polish exports to Ireland include:  grain ale, poultry meat and beef, cakes, meat products, furs, computers, furniture, vans, juices, dairy products, confectionery and glassware. More than fifty Irish companies have factories or development facilities in Poland in sectors such as ICT, print and packaging, construction and client services. Poland is Ireland’s 12th-largest exports market.

The majority of Polish people live in the cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway. Meanwhile, around 2,000 people from the Republic of Ireland call Poland their home, with the biggest clusters of Irish people living in the cities of Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk.

One interesting by-product of this relationship is the significant popularity of the Polish lotto in Ireland, which attracts a large number of regular players. Let’s take a closer look at why the Polish lotto might be so popular in Ireland.

One of the main reasons is the rising influence of Polish culture in the country. While the Polish community in Ireland is already substantial, significant numbers of Polish people continue to move there, with thousands arriving every year.

In booming cities like Dublin and Cork, Polish-owned businesses such as supermarkets, delis, and restaurants are now ubiquitous, with Polish cuisine, in particular, becoming increasingly trendy in the capital.

The strengthening links between Poland and Ireland have helped to increase the visibility of Polish culture, including the Polish lotteries. In addition, both Poland and Ireland have very high rates of lottery participation, which helps to explain why the lottery of one country would be so popular in the other.

Another factor for the recent rise in the popularity of Polish lotteries in Ireland is the increased accessibility thanks to modern technology that utilizes digital gaming software; Irish lottery fans are no longer limited to the Irish lotto.

Instead, now players and fans can participate in the Polish Lotto Draw, which includes access to the latest results and upcoming draws. Irish players might also be tempted by the odds available on Polish lotteries.

The odds of winning the Irish Lotto and the Polish Lotto are roughly the same, as they are respectively a 6/47 and a 6/49 draw. This represents odds of winning of about 1 in 13 million. However, other popular Polish lotteries, such as the immensely popular Mini Lotto, has odds of just 1 in 850,000, meaning players are 15 times more likely to hit the jackpot.

As a final point, it’s worth noting that the Polish lotteries are all considerably cheaper than their Irish counterparts. The Polish Mini Lotto, for instance, has been dubbed the “cheapest lottery in the world” by the press, owing to the fact that a full line only costs 25 cents to put on.

Meanwhile, the Irish Mini Lotto costs double that, at 50 cents a pop. The Polish Lotto, for which the biggest jackpot ever won was more than €10 million, cost only 60 cents per line, compared to a whopping €2 per line for the Irish Lotto. It’s not surprising to see why the Polish Lotto is rising in popularity.

There are many enduring links between Poland and Ireland, with the lotteries just being one of them.

When Poland entered the EU in 2004,  Ireland was in desperate need of skilled construction workers due to an economic boom and was one of the first European countries to accept and welcome immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Due to the wage disparity between the two countries they flooded in. It has been said that the fact they were both Catholic Countries helped in no small measure. Besides they were young, energetic and hardworking, trying to earn as much as possible. A couple of years work in Ireland would buy them a house in Poland.

At one time a handwritten sign appeared on a building site saying “ Poles Go Home “ but underneath someone had written “ Leave your Women ………………. Take ours. “  When the crash caused construction to completely collapse many left for home or went to London to help build the  Olympic Stadiums ; but others stayed, set up Families and Businesses and became the Irish with odd accents and even odder curses.